WESTFIELD GARDEN STATE PLAZA TO LAUNCH INAUGURAL “WESTFIELD GOOD FESTIVAL” PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY
On Saturday, May 11, Westfield Garden State Plaza will host the Westfield Good Festival to incentivize sustainability efforts across its stakeholders: local communities, retailers, brand partners, and individuals of all ages.
The Westfield Good Festival aims to inspire and support consumers who want to live more sustainably and give back to their communities. The first edition of the event took place in Europe last year and following its success, is being expanded to Westfield-branded shopping centers in the U.S.
“The Westfield Good Festival was created to inspire individuals while mobilizing communities to engage in sustainability efforts,” said Wesley Rebisz, senior general manager of Westfield Garden State Plaza. “Through a variety of actionable and immersive experiences, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from well-known retailers and beloved brands about the positive steps they are making in the environmental transition to create a better planet for future generations. We are delighted to launch an event that will be a catalyst for positive change.”
The Westfield Good Festival is free to attend with the donation of a pair of jeans. For more details on specific activations, see below:
Denim Revival Experience
Guests who donate a pair of old jeans to The Blue Jeans Go Green? program can have a second pair of denim transformed into a new, one-of-a-kind wearable masterpiece by artist Nick Sizemore and fashion designer Darcy Barber of Craft Night NYC. Guests can choose from multiple design details to individualize their jeans and pick them up the following Saturday, May 18, at Westfield Garden State Plaza.
Darcy Barber, co-founder of Craft Night NYC, said: “One of the most important missions for Craft Night NYC is to promote environmental consciousness through the art of repurposing materials and having a blast doing it. We are excited to inspire guests of The Westfield Good Festival to think before they toss because crafting together, we can create beautiful and unique pieces that extend the life of existing apparel while reducing waste.”
The Future of Fashion with Berkeley College
Westfield Garden State Plaza has partnered with Berkeley College to showcase sustainable fashion at its finest designed by students from the school’s Fashion Merchandising and Management Program. The unique, zero-waste designs will be part of a curated storefront display along with an upcycled fabric art installation, also created by Berkeley College Fashion students. The day’s events also include an educational panel hosted by Andrea Kennedy, Lead Faculty, Fashion Merchandising and Management at the Berkeley College Larry L. Luing School of Business?. Ms. Kennedy will be joined by students currently studying sustainable fashion for insights on stitching a sustainable tomorrow. Showcasing their innovative apparel collections on stage, the students will share their stories and work inspired by climate-change that resulted in their eco-conscious creations, ones that have transformed scraps from the cutting room floor into future fashion statements.
“Our Berkeley College students are excited to be part of the environmentally responsible future of fashion. Our students have seen their home environments changing, often for the worse, and they are concerned and anxious about climate change,” said Kennedy. “These students are sustainable thinkers who want to enter the fashion industry and change fashion practices for the better. The Good Festival experience is about merging higher education, industry processes, and students’ innovative ideas and authentic storytelling for sustainability. I am also excited because we are teaching our students through immersive, project-based, experiential learning in this project, and that is for what Berkeley College is known.”
Sustainability Spotlights
Guests can discover sustainable and eco-friendly products and practices from Westfield Garden State Plaza shops, including Rothy’s, Sephora, Fabletics, L’Occitane, Kiehl’s, Nespresso, Madewell, Tory Burch, Arc’teryxc, Allbirds, Coach, Aveda and Blue Nile. Attendees who spend $50 or more across the Sustainability Spotlight shops will get a free herb plant while supplies last.
Community Art Project
Children can let their creativity flow by participating in a Community Art Project consisting of a beautiful mosaic made from LEGO bricks. Guests are also encouraged to bring their gently used LEGO bricks to the mall to be donated to the LEGO Replay program. Some of the donated LEGO bricks will be used in the art piece itself!
Live Entertainment
Throughout the day, guests can groove to beats from various performers who will be hitting the stage, including American Idol finalist Sam Woolf, American kindie rock band Rolie Polie Guacamole, and musical duo Emtee.
The Westfield Good Festival will take place from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm on Level 1 near Pandora. To RSVP, visit the Westfield Garden State Plaza website, here. Individuals who RSVP will receive an exclusive offer from the new Rothy’s shop opening in early June. A promo code for $20 off your first purchase at Rothy’s will be included in the confirmation email when you RSVP.
The Westfield Good Festival is a part of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s Better Places roadmap, which aims to support the environmental transition of cities and the sustainable evolution of retail. More details on Better Places are available here.
Photo Caption: Students from the Berkeley College Fashion Merchandising and Management Program along with Campus Operating Officer at Berkeley College in New York City, Linda Mauro, prepare their upcycled fabric art installation for the Westfield Good Festival.
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